Chase’s initial reaction was to scream no and run like a spoiled child down the midway. Because she wasn’t ready to leave. Here in Cotter’s Creek, she’d felt like she finally belonged somewhere. Over the past few weeks, she’d not only completed her therapy and adulting boot camp, but she’d contributed to the community, surprisingly found a sort of friendship with Neve and Olivia, and fallen half in love with Zeke. How could she give that up to go back to what she’d been? Her new normal didn’t sound as good as her present not so normal.

After both Conrad and Olivia finished giving her the lay of the land, Chase lost her craving for funnel cake and happy flirting with Zeke. Spencer had driven her to the festival, but Zeke tuned into her emotions and volunteered to take her home.

Their ride back to the cabin had been silent.

She hadn’t known what to say and needed time to process what to do when it came to Zeke and her emerging feelings for him. They’d both agreed that they would be friends, but earlier with the striptease, she’d tossed that label aside for something more. And now, she would be leaving. Something more probably wasn’t a good decision, even if her heart urged her toward Zeke. Tangled wasn’t even the word for what she felt as they moved toward the cabin and her uncertain future.

On some level she understood that she’d relied on Zeke to help move to a better place, to be a better person. Did that mean her feelings were magnified because she’d needed someone like him to make her feel better about herself? Or were her feelings true? Analyzing her motives for actions in her past had given her insight into how people filled the holes in themselves, how they rationalized feelings . . . and addictions. What if she had conjured up feelings for her rugged neighbor in order to cope with her rehabilitation?

She didn’t think she’d done that, but did she truly know?

Yeah, she liked him and liked herself when she was with him.

But was that enough to build a future on?

As she had climbed from Zeke’s truck, she’d looked back into the interior, where he sat looking uncertain himself. “I guess we need to talk, but I think I need time to process some things. I don’t want to screw things up between us.”

Zeke drew in a deep breath and let it loose slowly. He looked so sad that her heart clutched in her chest. “You know, Chase, I’m not sure there’s much to say. You’re leaving Cotter’s Creek, right?”

“Yeah, but . . .” She stopped, sucking her lower lip between her teeth, trying to read him, trying to say the right thing. “You’ll still want to see me, right?”